Marcellina accident displaces local workers

Flood in the building causes major damage

An unfortunate water incident in one of the community’s most affordable places to live, Marcellina Apartments in Mt. Crested Butte, is leading to dozens of young residents looking for new places to rent in the middle of the ski season. That’s not easy.
On Friday afternoon, February 14, a fire suppression system was triggered by accident in the apartment building. The corresponding water resulted in significant flooding and damage to the majority of units.

The Crested Butte News received several phone calls and inquiries from Marcellina residents looking for places to move to in a hurry. None wanted their names used in the story since their living conditions were in flux.
“It was really bad,” said one. “We live on the second floor. I guess the third floor got it the worst, but there was water coming through the light fixtures in our apartment.
“It’s been a pretty crazy situation,” the displaced resident continued. “There were notes on some of the doors saying that people in 32 of the units had to move out immediately. That’s displacing 60 or 90 people.”
“We haven’t received a phone call telling us what’s going on. We’re screwed trying to find a place to live in the middle of the ski season. There’s a ton of stuff being rented short-term but nothing for the long term.”
“Right now it looks like that scene in the movie E.T. when the government comes in to get him,” said another Marcellina resident. “There are fans and tubing everywhere. Doors and windows are open as they try to dry it all out. It’s nuts.”
“I’ll be okay and find something but it’s a pain in the ass for sure,” said a third resident.
Blueline Properties of Denver purchased the 44-unit apartment building out of foreclosure about a month ago for $1.5 million. The initial plan was to continue running the apartments until the spring and then begin a renovation project to turn the building into condominiums.
 Blueline property co-owner Steve Daniel said the flood started when a sub-contractor accidentally broke a fire sprinkler line.
“At the moment, it’s really too early to provide any concrete answers,” Daniel said. “We are working quickly to determine the scope of the damage, the exact number of units affected, and how many residents will be affected. At this time, our priority is addressing the immediate issues due to the flooding, such as water removal and dry-out.”
According to notices from Blueline posted throughout the building, 32 units were affected in a major way from the flood. “All tenants in the units listed above will have to permanently move out due to the demo and reconstruction that needs to take place in your unit,” the notice reads. “…We recommend you start searching for another place immediately. You will be reimbursed for the prorated amount of rent you paid for February from the date of the incident (February 14-28). Additionally, we are evaluating ways to assist with moving expenses.”
The Blueline notice states that details would be provided to the tenants by Wednesday, February 19.
Mt. Crested Butte town manager Joe Fitzpatrick said the town is not involved in the situation, “but we feel bad for those who have been impacted. Hopefully repairs can be completed soon.”
Crested Butte Mountain Resort vice president and general manager Ethan Mueller said he is aware of the situation and understands some company employees were probably affected by the incident. “We feel bad for everyone over there who was impacted,” he said. “We are looking to see if we can help relocate some of our employees. We’d like to help them out. One problem is that in terms of our properties, we have a peak period coming up and that hamstrings us but we will try to see if we can figure something out and help.”